Loss of Innocence
by Home By Another Way
Summary: "Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." - Khalil Gibran. Two new students have arrived at Hogwarts. One is cold and fearsome, the other charismatic but broken. Rumor has it they were once marooned on an island. What happened to them? . . . Are you sure you want to know? Boggart fic. DARK fic. Warning: strong T.
1. Of Cousins and Mysterious Acquaintances

**Sziasztok, mindenki! (Hello, everyone!) I'm gonna keep this brief. This story has been cooking for about 18 months. I had most of it written within two months of starting it, but I just could not get the ending to work out. Now I've found a way to make it end semi-satisfactorily, at least for me. Thus, I am now posting it here. You'll be pleased to know I already have everything written (a real shocker, since this is _me_ we're talking about). Therefore, I plan to update every Saturday until this little plot bunny is complete.**

**I happen to be a sucker for good Boggart fics, as well as awesome foil characters, so I hope you enjoy this story, 'cause I had a lot of fun writing it! (P.S. WARNING right up front for future torture and other heavy subjects. This fic is rather DARK. If this ain't your cup of tea, I suggest you leave now.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own either Harry Potter or Lord of the Flies. There, I said it.**

**Additional notes: This takes place post-LOTF and during Prisoner of Azkaban. I admit I borrowed a tiny bit of dialogue from PoA for this chapter.**

Loss of Innocence

Of Cousins and Mysterious Acquaintances

It was only during Third Year that Harry learned Ron had a cousin, and the kid set off warning bells in his head right away.

He was the son of Molly Weasley's distant relative (an accountant) and his name was Jack Merridew.

Harry had been introduced to Jack as soon as their usual group had found an empty compartment (with the exception of the mysterious R. J. Lupin) on the Hogwarts Express, and had already decided that there was something off about him.

Jack looked normal enough.

He had the classic Weasley hair and was nearly as tall as Ron. His face was thin in a way that reminded Harry of Draco, and his eyes were a bright blue.

Perhaps it was the eyes that put Harry on edge. There was some kind of darkness in those eyes; some shutter had fallen over them that left them disturbingly blank and unreadable.

Harry had been sitting across from Jack ever since the train had left King's Cross Station some hours ago, and he had yet to see him make an expression of any kind.

Jack had barely said a word since they'd been introduced, choosing instead to stare out the window at the passing scenery. Ron seemed to accept his silence easily and began to ask Harry what had happened to him over the summer. Harry reluctantly revealed what had gone on between him and the Dursley's, keeping an eye on Jack the entire time.

He thought he saw Jack smirk when Harry revealed the fate of his Aunt Marge, but it was gone so fast Harry wasn't sure it had been there at all.

After he was finished explaining his ordeal, Hermione surprised them all by turning to Jack.

"So, Jack," she began, trying valiantly not to flinch when his frigid stare turned from the window to focus on her, "are you a transfer student?"

Jack stared at her in silence for a moment, and just when she began to squirm a little in discomfort, he spoke.

"Something like that."

He turned back to the window.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Don't be such an arse, mate."

Jack turned to glare at him, and Ron cowered away after a moment, dropping his eyes. Harry didn't blame him; Jack's expressionless stare was extremely intimidating.

There was a tense silence for a few moments before Jack sighed and stood up. He opened the sliding door and left the compartment without a backward glance, tossing a short, "I'm going to the loo," over his shoulder.

As soon as he was gone, everyone relaxed. After a moment Ron seemed to gather up his courage and turned to Hermione.

"Sorry about that," he said, "Jack's always been a bit of a git."

Hermione still looked a little pale, but she nodded and managed a small smile. Ron sighed and sat back, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"It's just that Jack's had a tough time," Ron began, looking both of them in the eye, leaning closer and lowering his voice as though he were going to divulge a great secret, "He wasn't always like this. He was marooned on an island, y'see. Spent a couple weeks there with a group of other boys. No grown-ups. When they finally got rescued things had already gone to hell, and all of them were pretty messed up.

Ron cringed, "I heard some of them went completely mental. Anyway, Jack's been in therapy for the past year. Everyone thought he was a Squib like his dad, Uncle Arnold, so he didn't get an invitation to Hogwarts when he turned eleven. His magic appeared after he was rescued from the island, though; apparently he was a bit of a late-bloomer, according to Mum.

"He would've come to Hogwarts last year, but he was still in therapy so that's why he's transferring in this year," Ron concluded.

Hermione nodded slowly, accepting this information, but Harry was fixated on one thing.

"He was marooned on an island?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah. He doesn't talk about it, but from what I know it was pretty bad."

Harry's brow furrowed, "How was it bad?"

Ron glanced at the door to make sure Jack was nowhere in sight and lowered his voice even further when he replied, "Blokes died, Harry. At least two, maybe three, and no one knows how. Their bodies weren't ever found and the kids who were rescued refused to talk about it."

Hermione looked horrified, and Harry was speechless for a moment. _Bloody hell_, he thought in astonishment, a sick feeling twisting his stomach into unpleasant knots, _kids_ died_? _ No wonder there was something strange about Jack. He'd been marooned on an island, for crying out loud!

Ron looked like he was about to say more, but then the compartment door slid open and Draco Malfoy appeared, flanked by his cronies Crabbe and Goyle.

"Well, well," Malfoy sneered, "If it isn't Potty and the Weasel."

Harry tensed, knowing nothing good would come of this.

"Heard your father got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," Malfoy continued. "Did your mother die of shock?"

Ron snarled and stood up, startling Crookshanks from his perch and onto the floor. He made a move to rush at Draco, but Hermione held him back. Harry stood up to defend his friend, but someone else beat him to it.

"Is there a problem here, cousin?" Everyone froze as a chilling voice sounded from behind Malfoy and his entourage, causing them to start and whip around to see who the intruder was.

The distinctive red hair and blank blue eyes of the speaker revealed him to be none other than Jack Merridew.

Malfoy quickly got over his shock at the interruption and puffed up indignantly. "Who the bloody hell are you?" he demanded, glaring at Jack.

Jack trailed his eyes over Crabbe and Goyle - perhaps sizing them up - before turning the full force of his expressionless gaze on Draco. For a moment Jack regarded him in silence, and it was during this time that Draco began to have an inkling that perhaps he had made a mistake. There was something about this obviously-related-to-the-Weasel stranger that was slightly sinister. Under the scrutiny of those unnervingly blank blue eyes, some deeply buried instinct in Draco awoke, urging him to cower and flee before it was too late.

Before Draco could decide whether or not to give in to his fight or (preferably) flight instinct, Jack said softly, "I'm Jack Merridew. Now scram if you know what's good for you."

The fight-or-flight instinct within Draco was screaming now, urging him to get away. Draco did just that; he turned and fled, scurrying down the hallway with Crabbe and Goyle on his heels.

After the Slytherins had disappeared, Jack entered the compartment and sat down again without a word.

Ron cleared his throat, "Um, thanks for that, Jack. I appreciate it."

Jack didn't respond, instead choosing to stare out the window again at the passing scenery, which was now misting faintly with rain. A moment later the compartment door opened once more, again revealing a kid about their age with blond hair. Except it wasn't Draco.

For one thing, this kid wasn't a Slytherin. In fact, his robes were unmarked, like Jack's. For another thing, his hair wasn't the same shade of blond as Draco's. It was more of a sun-bleached blond instead of platinum, and it sprung from the boy's head in uncontrollable tufts and curls. He was rather trim, and had a timid smile on his face instead of Draco's customary sneer. His eyes were blue instead of grey, and something about them made Harry pause and do a double-take.

_How strange_, Harry thought, _This bloke's eyes remind me of Jack's, except they're not as dead-looking_. Indeed, the mysterious blond's eyes were shuttered and dark, similar to Jack's, though there was a haunted look about them that set them apart from those of Ron's cousin.

Before Harry could further contemplate the enigma of the blond's eyes, the boy cleared his throat and spoke.

"Excuse me," the boy said softly, his voice surprisingly charismatic. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a blur of movement and realized Jack had suddenly turned his attention from the window to the boy at the sound of the new bloke's voice. Curious, Harry turned to look at Jack and nearly reeled back in astonishment.

Jack's eyes were wide with shock and his mouth had fallen open slightly in surprise. Jack, the scary, expressionless, never-before-heard-of-cousin-of-Ron, was showing emotion for the first time since Harry had met him. And, Harry realized, it was all because of this kid who had appeared out of nowhere.

The boy continued to speak, "Sorry, but do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is -"

"_Ralph?!_" Jack cut the boy off, staring at him as though he couldn't believe his eyes. Then, as Harry looked on, Jack's face underwent a startling transformation. His eyes suddenly became alight with a kind of sinister, predatory glow, and his mouth twisted into a hungry smirk.

The boy in the doorway went stock-still at the sound of Jack's voice, and immediately zeroed in on him. When he made eye contact with Jack, the boy - Ralph, apparently - went white as a sheet. His previously timid expression abruptly morphed into one of absolute terror, and he whispered, "Jack?"

At the sound of his name, Jack's smirk became a full-blown evil grin that made Harry shudder, and he was suddenly struck with the urge to get as far from Jack as possible.

Ralph apparently felt the same, because he began to back out of the compartment, keeping his horror-struck eyes on Jack as though he were afraid the redhead was going to lunge at him.

"It can't be," Ralph said softly, his terror mixing with stubborn disbelief. Hermione stood up to try and soothe him, but Ralph continued to back away.

"No," he whispered, staring at Jack, "no, _no_."

And with that, Ralph spun around and sprinted off down the corridor, slamming the compartment door shut behind him. Jack leaped up, about to give chase, but the entire train suddenly lurched as it began to slow down, and he lost his footing, tumbling back into his seat.

"Something's wrong," Hermione said nervously, "We can't possibly be at Hogwarts yet."

Jack paid her no mind and stood up again. He made it to the door and threw it open, only to be bowled over by Neville and Ginny as they burst into the compartment. Jack pushed them off of himself with a snarl, and by that time the train had come to a complete stop.

Ron, who was trying to see out the rain-streaked window, suddenly said, "Oi, I think someone's getting on the train!"

Then the lamps winked out and everything went black.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked fearfully, trying to navigate the sudden darkness, "Ron, Jack, where are you?"

"Over here, Gin," Ron said: which didn't help much because nobody could see anything in the inky blackness. A brief struggle ensued, as everyone tried to regain their seats without stepping on someone else's fingers or toes. When everyone was finally settled, Neville spoke up nervously, "D'you reckon we've broken down?"

"Dunno," Harry replied, "Maybe, but then, who was getting on the train?"

"Quiet," an unfamiliar, gruff voice commanded suddenly, causing Ginny and Hermione to shriek in surprise. A small group of flames suddenly appeared in the cupped hand of the now-awake R. J. Lupin. The flames illuminated his pale, tired face and cast menacing shadows over his dark eyes.

Harry noticed Jack recoil from the flames out of the corner of his eye, but dismissed it and focused his attention on the haggard man in the corner of the compartment.

"Don't move," Lupin said, standing up and making his way over to the compartment door, "I'm going to go see what -"

The door slid open before he reached it, and Harry was suddenly overcome with a wave of cold unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was as though he had been dunked stark-naked into a glacial lake, except the cold sunk into his very bones.

Shuddering, Harry caught sight of a horrible skeletal figure that stood silhouetted in the doorway. The creature was extremely tall and thin, and was wrapped in a cloak of dark gray rags from head to toe, the tatters of the cloak floating eerily in some sort of nonexistent breeze.

Harry allowed his eyes to slowly trail up the creature, starting from its feet, but where its face should have been, well, there was just no face. All Harry could see was an empty black hole where the mouth should have been. And as he stared at the horrific creature, he felt a different sort of cold sink into his bones and imbed itself in his very soul.

Fear. Despair. Horrible agony as every drop of happiness was sucked out of Harry and he was forced to recall every bad thing that had happened to him in his life. It started with Malfoy's recent verbal attack on Ron, and went all the way back to Harry's first memory of the cupboard under the stairs. And just when Harry thought it couldn't get any worse, he was blinded by a flash of eerie green light and heard a woman's terrified scream.

As his vision dimmed, Harry saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye before his world faded to black.

LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI

When Harry woke up, it was to Lupin waving a bar of chocolate in his face.

"Eat it," Lupin said, "It'll help you feel better."

Harry reluctantly took the chocolate and looked around the compartment. The lamps had flickered back on and he could now see everyone. Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Ron were sitting on the benches, giving him concerned looks. Harry realized that he couldn't see Jack, and immediately twisted around to search for him.

Harry was startled to find Jack on the floor next to him, apparently out cold. After making sure Harry was capable of sitting up on his own, Lupin turned to the redhead and shook him awake.

Jack's hand shot out and grabbed Lupin's wrist with alarming speed, startling the man and causing everyone to jump in surprise. Jack ignored their fright in favor of glaring at Lupin.

Harry's brow furrowed; there was a wild look in Jack's eye that he didn't like, but it faded almost immediately and Jack released Lupin from the death-grip on his arm.

Lupin crouched next to Jack for a second, looking thoughtful, before he took out another chocolate bar and offered it to Jack.

"Here, eat this," Lupin said, "It'll help with the after-effects."

"The after-effects of what, Professor?" Hermione asked, "What were those things?"

Lupin sighed and seemed to age ten years as he replied, "Those were Dementors. They are the wardens of Azkaban and feed on fear and despair. They suck the happiness out of anything nearby. Chocolate helps counter their influence after exposure, but be sure to rest awhile, okay boys?"

Harry nodded in acknowledgment, but Jack just stared into space, evidently lost in his own thoughts. Lupin watched them for a couple of seconds before he stood and headed towards the door.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, "I need to have a word with the driver."

He left the compartment and softly closed the door behind him. After he was gone, Harry turned to his friends and asked, "What happened? Did anyone hear the screaming?"

His friends traded nervous looks with each other before Hermione opened her mouth to reply.

"Harry," she said slowly, "There was no screaming."

Harry's brow furrowed, "What are you talking about? Of course there was! I heard a woman screaming!"

Ron shook his head, "Nobody screamed, mate. You and Jack just sort of had a seizure and collapsed."

Harry glanced at Jack, hoping for some support, but the redhead was still lost in his own world. Disgusted, Harry turned away and focused on the gloomy weather outside the window as the train started to move again.

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The rest of the trip passed without incident, and by the time they arrived at Hogwarts, Harry was so irritated he couldn't wait to get off the train. It was only after he stepped onto the platform that he remembered the strange blond boy who had fled at the sight of Jack.

"Oi, Jack!" Harry shouted. Jack, who was about to get into a carriage (after staring at the empty space in front of it like a lunatic for some time), stopped and glanced back. Harry caught up to him, Ron and Hermione following.

Once the foursome had entered the carriage and the Golden Trio regained their breath, Harry turned to Jack.

"Jack," he began, "who's Ralph?"

Jack's reaction was instant but he managed to hide it rather well. His jaw clenching was the only major change in his face, but his eyes betrayed him. At the mention of Ralph, Jack's eyes suddenly burned with something very close to hatred but not quite. Harry couldn't figure out just what it was but the intensity alone was enough to make him nervous.

"Jack?" Harry asked warily. The fire in Jack's eyes increased.

"Ralph is an old acquaintance," he said softly. Then he looked away, obviously unwilling to say any more on the subject.

Harry watched him for a moment, suspicious. Eventually he shrugged and turned away, adding Ralph to the growing list of mysteries surrounding Ron's cousin.

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**. . . I'm just getting started. Please review if you have the time; I would love to hear if the suspense is well-written. Otherwise, thank you for reading and please tune in next week!**

**Random question: What is your favorite television series and why? Currently I am totally in love with Prison Break because of its superior actors and plotline. :)**

_**~Home By Another Way**_


	2. Of Sortings and Staring

**Here's the second installment, as promised. Please enjoy. I know it's short, but the next installments will be much longer. Think of this as the calm before the storm.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize. Darn it.**

Loss of Innocence

Of Sortings and Staring

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**The rest of the trip passed without incident, and by the time they arrived at Hogwarts, Harry was so irritated he couldn't wait to get off the train. It was only after he stepped onto the platform that he remembered the strange blond boy who had fled at the sight of Jack.**_

"_**Oi, Jack!" Harry shouted. Jack, who was about to get into a carriage (after staring at the empty space in front of it like a lunatic for some time), stopped and glanced back. Harry caught up to him, Ron and Hermione following.**_

_**Once the foursome had entered the carriage and the Golden Trio regained their breath, Harry turned to Jack.**_

"_**Jack," he began, "who's Ralph?"**_

_**Jack's reaction was instant but he managed to hide it rather well. His jaw clenching was the only major change in his face, but his eyes betrayed him. At the mention of Ralph, Jack's eyes suddenly burned with something very close to hatred but not quite. Harry couldn't figure out just what it was but the intensity alone was enough to make him nervous.**_

"_**Jack?" Harry asked warily. The fire in Jack's eyes increased.**_

"_**Ralph is an old acquaintance," he said softly. Then he looked away, obviously unwilling to say any more on the subject.**_

_**Harry watched him for a moment, suspicious. Eventually he shrugged and turned away, adding Ralph to the growing list of mysteries surrounding Ron's cousin.**_

_**LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI**_

When the group of four consisting of Harry, Jack, Ron, and Hermione stepped through the giant oak doors of the school, they were immediately targeted by a perplexed Madam Pomfrey. Apparently she had been alerted of Harry and Jack's adverse reaction to the Dementor attack by Lupin and had insisted on checking on them.

After a few moments of tittering, she finally released the two into the Great Hall, though she insisted they come to the Infirmary before heading to bed.

The Sorting was rather interesting. After the new First Years were Sorted, Dumbledore stood up and announced that Hogwarts was to be the proud host of two transfer students. He then beckoned Jack forward, as well as the strange blond kid who had run from them (_Or rather, from Jack_, Harry realized.) on the train.

_Ralph_, Harry recalled, _the one who made Jack show emotion_.

Harry observed both boys curiously as they made their way up to the front of the Great Hall to stand before McGonagall and the Sorting Hat. There was definitely tension between the two. Ralph, for one, refused to look at Jack and made sure to stand as far away from him as possible. Jack was also tense, though it was harder to tell with him because the only hint he gave was the stiffness of his shoulders.

"I will now call you forward to be Sorted," Professor McGonagall told the two boys sternly, "You will sit on the stool and place the Hat on your head. After you have been Sorted, you will go sit with your new Housemates."

She gave them each a look, as though daring them to disobey her, before she glanced down at the scroll in her hands.

"Evanson, Ralph," she called out. Ralph jumped slightly before starting forward. He sat on the stool without complaint, though Harry could see the wideness of his eyes as he slipped the Sorting Hat on.

The next few minutes passed in absolute silence, but then a very strange thing happened.

The Sorting Hat began to tremble. It was almost unnoticeable at first, but as the quaking grew more and more violent people began to whisper nervously.

"_What's going on?"_

"_What's up with the Hat? It's never done that before."_

"_Is something wrong?"_

Harry began to feel worried. The whispers were right; the Hat had never done this before; something was obviously wrong. Just when he was about to speak up, the Hat went completely still.

The Great Hall itself seemed to hold its breath.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat shouted at last, though there was a particular quality to its voice that made Harry nervous. If Harry didn't know better, he'd have thought the Hat sounded . . . upset?

Harry shook his head. That didn't make any sense. Why would the Sorting Hat be upset, unless . . . ? Harry watched Ralph closely as he took a seat on the far end of the House table. Did Ralph do something to make the Hat nervous? It was plausible; the Hat had been on Ralph's head during its panic attack, after all. But what could it have seen to rattle it so?

A sudden expectant hush in the Hall made Harry glance up at the Staff Table in time to watch Professor McGonagall announce Jack.

"Merridew, Jack."

Jack, who had been watching Ralph take a seat at the Gryffindor table, turned and walked over to the stool. He sat down and placed the Hat on his head.

"SLYTHERIN!" the Hat bellowed a moment later, reminding Harry eerily of Draco Malfoy's Sorting.

A shocked silence descended in the Hall. A Weasley look-alike in Slytherin? Impossible! None but the teachers applauded Jack as he sauntered over to the Slytherin table. Jack must have felt the heavy stares on his back, but evidently he didn't care because he didn't acknowledge any of them. He simply sat down and ignored everyone else.

After a moment of awkward silence, Dumbledore stood up, clapped his hands, and began the feast.

The Welcoming Feast was delicious as usual, and after listening to Dumbledore explain the Dementors' presence on the grounds as guards of some sort, Harry was abruptly reminded of the fact that Sirius Black, a known mass-murderer, might very well be after his head.

_Forget Ron's weird cousin_, Harry thought, _I need to worry about a killer who might be out to get me_.

Despite himself, Harry glanced over at Jack one last time. He was startled to see Jack staring at the back of one Ralph Evanson's head, trying to bore holes in it with the power of his blank stare alone.

Harry looked down at his food again. _What is up with those two?_ he wondered. Then he shook his head angrily.

_No_, he chided himself, _focus on Sirius Black, not Jack Merridew_.

For a while, Harry managed to distract himself. But then everything changed during the Boggart lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI

**So there you have it. Please R&R! Next update in a week.**

**Question: If you had the ability to time-travel, where would you go? I'd go back to medieval times, I think, because I've always wanted to write a good historical fiction, and what better research is there than first-hand experience? Maybe one day I'll get around to writing such a book! ;)**

_**~Home By Another Way**_


	3. Of Boggarts and Island Boys, Part 1

**Sorry for the late update. RL got in the way last weekend, and since I realized I wouldn't be able to update this weekend either, I decided I should just post a chapter now. WARNING: this is when it starts to get dark.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own LOTF or Harry Potter. Now, please enjoy the twisted plot bunny my mind cooked up. ;)**

Loss of Innocence

Of Boggarts and Island Boys, Part 1

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**A sudden expectant hush in the Hall made Harry glance up at the Staff Table in time to watch Professor McGonagall announce Jack.**_

"_**Merridew, Jack."**_

_**Jack, who had been watching Ralph take a seat at the Gryffindor table, turned and walked over to the stool. He sat down and placed the Hat on his head.**_

"_**SLYTHERIN!" the Hat bellowed a moment later, reminding Harry eerily of Draco Malfoy's Sorting.**_

_**A shocked silence descended in the Hall. A Weasley look-alike in Slytherin? Impossible! None but the teachers applauded Jack as he sauntered over to the Slytherin table. Jack must have felt the heavy stares on his back, but evidently he didn't care because he didn't acknowledge any of them. He simply sat down and ignored everyone else.**_

_**After a moment of awkward silence, Dumbledore stood up, clapped his hands, and began the feast.**_

_**The Welcoming Feast was delicious as usual, and after listening to Dumbledore explain the Dementors' presence on the grounds as guards of some sort, Harry was abruptly reminded of the fact that Sirius Black, a known mass-murderer, might very well be after his head.**_

**Forget Ron's weird cousin**_**, Harry thought, **_**I need to worry about a killer who might be out to get me****.**

_**Despite himself, Harry glanced over at Jack one last time. He was startled to see Jack staring at the back of one Ralph Evanson's head, trying to bore holes in it with the power of his blank stare alone.**_

_**Harry looked down at his food again. **_**What is up with those two?**_** he wondered. Then he shook his head angrily.**_

**No**_**, he chided himself, **_**focus on Sirius Black, not Jack Merridew****.**

_**For a while, Harry managed to distract himself. But then everything changed during the Boggart lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts.**_

_**LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI**_

Professor Lupin turned out to be the best teacher Harry had ever had, by far. He kept his lessons interesting and entertaining. He didn't show favoritism between Houses and he didn't assign ridiculous amounts of homework. Best of all, he was genuinely nice and commanded respect from even the Slytherins (though Malfoy did his best to be as obnoxious as possible); there was rarely an unfortunate episode concerning misbehavior during class.

The day of the Boggart lesson should have been the same as any other day; fun, riveting, etc. Sure, students would have to face their biggest fears, but Harry thought it was actually a good opportunity to learn more about himself.

Learning to control and conquer his fear could come in handy one day, after all.

At first, everything went rather smoothly. People's biggest fears turned out to be nothing more than spiders, clowns, Snape, etc., and the students managed to conquer them rather easily. Harry was actually surprised at how tame some people's greatest fears were.

Harry's sense of security was shattered when Ralph Evanson stepped up to face the Boggart.

Harry didn't know what to make of Ralph. He was nice enough, if rather quiet, and he had a particular charisma that drew people to him. He got okay grades even though he seemed to be at least a year behind everyone else in his magical education. Overall, Harry would have pegged him as a nice, slightly introverted kid, except that Ralph had some rather strange quirks.

For one thing, he was absolutely terrified of Jack. Whenever Jack appeared in a hallway, Ralph was sure to be as far away from him as possible with as many people between them as possible. Whenever they had a class together, Ralph would sit far away from Jack and would always be the first one out the door when the class ended. He refused to talk to Jack and could barely stand to look at him. Whenever the redhead got too close, Ralph would get a kind of frenzied look that reminded Harry of a cornered animal.

In addition to his strange behavior in regards to Jack, Ralph also had terrible nightmares. He would wake up the whole dorm room by whimpering or screaming in terror. Madam Pomfrey had given him a Sleeping Draught to try and help him, but unfortunately it didn't do much good; Ralph would still wake up screaming most nights. Harry had no idea what his nightmares were about, but they seemed to get worse every time he had a close encounter with Jack.

One time Jack had managed to corner Ralph just before bed, when most students were in the Great Hall eating dinner. Harry didn't know what had passed between them, but Ralph's nightmares had been worse than ever that night. They were so bad in fact that Ralph had been forced to go to the Infirmary for three days in order to recover.

Harry had felt bad for him, but didn't have any idea how he could help him, so he had left Ralph alone for the most part. The one or two times Harry had tried to get him to talk about it, Ralph had just given him a strange, sad smile and said not to worry, that it wasn't his burden to bear.

Harry would have been offended - did Ralph think that after all Harry had been through he couldn't handle it? - except that the wise, bitter look in Ralph's eyes convinced him that Ralph meant no offense. Afterward, Harry respected Ralph's wishes and left him to his own devices.

Despite this, Harry couldn't help but be curious about Ralph. Who was this oddly quiet, charismatic blond boy who had awful recurring nightmares, managed to make Jack show emotion, and had such a horribly haunted look in his eyes?

Ralph had also been the only one other than Jack and Harry who had fainted from the Dementor run-in on the Hogwarts Express. Harry had heard about it from Draco Malfoy. Apparently, he had seen Ralph faint in the corridor when the Dementors came by and had been teasing him about it. Jack of all people had come to Ralph's rescue, snapping at his fellow Slytherin to shut up if he knew what was good for him. Draco, who was still afraid of Jack since their encounter on the train, had stopped picking on Ralph immediately and had retreated to a seat on the far side of the room. Jack and Ralph had traded a meaningful glance (the only one they had shared that Ralph hadn't quaked in fear from) and then went their separate ways as though nothing had happened.

All this and more made Harry incredibly curious about what Ralph's Boggart would be, but nothing could have prepared him for Ralph's greatest fear.

The moment Ralph stepped in front of the Boggart, it trembled for a moment in indecision, before morphing into a fog that spread around the whole room, transforming it. Where once there had been desks and cobblestone walls was now towering trees and a glorious colorful explosion of vegetation.

Harry looked around in confusion - Ralph's greatest fear was some kind of tropical paradise? - but then his eyes settled on the horrific sight in the middle of the clearing the class was standing in.

There, impaled on some kind of rough-hewn wooden spear, was a boar's head. Or, at least, what was left of it. The flesh seemed to have been picked clean from the bone long ago, and the skull had been bleached white by the sun. The eyes were huge, empty sockets that chilled Harry to the bone; he could feel some sort of unspeakable evil coming from them that set him on edge.

Harry heard a couple exclamations of fear and disgust rise from his classmates, and he couldn't help but agree with them; this was definitely gross and scary. In an attempt to distract himself, Harry sought out Ralph who was standing alone at the front of the crowd, apparently petrified.

Just as Harry was about to call out to remind Ralph that he had to cast _Riddikulus _in order to banish the Boggart, a loud crashing of branches to his left caught his attention.

Out of the woods burst a terrified, bloody, barely-clothed boy of no more than twelve years of age. He had a head full of wild blond hair and a huge, deep cut running across his torso from his shoulder to his hip. His modesty was only preserved by his rather shredded trousers, and a few girls squawked indignantly and blushed at how much sun-tanned skin his lack of clothes was revealing.

The boy didn't seem to notice them, however. He stumbled past the gawking class and collapsed in front of the grotesque boar head, panting with exhaustion. The boy dry-heaved a few times and reached up to push his bangs out of his eyes, allowing Harry to catch a glimpse of extremely dilated pupils barely ringed by blue irises.

Blood dripped down the boy's front from the laceration on his chest, but he didn't seem to notice. Indeed, he had become entranced by the skull leering down at him. For a moment, he paused and stared up at it in fascination.

Whooping and hollering suddenly rang out from the forest in the direction the boy had come from, and he immediately forced himself up to begin running again.

Then, to everyone's shock, the skull began to speak.

"Might as well give up, boy."

Everyone froze as the horrible voice resounded in their heads, unleashing a primal fear in their bodies that told them to _rungetawaygo_. But suddenly no one could move and they found themselves rooted to the spot, forced to watch as the bleeding boy jumped and then whirled around clumsily to face the skull.

"Might as well give up, boy," the skull repeated, "They've almost caught you, anyhow."

_Who was 'they?'_ Harry wondered. The skull continued to talk, its jawbones scraping together bizarrely to form human words.

"Poor, ickle boy," the head taunted, "Why bother to run? You can't keep it up forever, so why fight the inevitable? Face it; you lost, you failed. You failed as a chief, you failed as a friend, but most of all, you failed -"

"Stop it!" the boy suddenly screamed, clapping his hands to his ears, "Shut up!"

The skull laughed, its jaw bone creaking as it opened and closed, "Come now, Ralph. Just give up and let them take you; it's no more than you deserve, after all."

Harry was shocked; that bloody, half-crazed boy was Ralph? What had happened to him? What was the head talking about?

Ralph, both the one in the vision and the one standing in the front of the crowd, dressed in wizarding robes, had collapsed to their knees by now and were shaking their heads in denial.

"No," the vision Ralph whispered, "I can't give up. They'll -"

But it was too late. At that moment, a group of completely naked boys ranging from age six to eleven came bursting out of the trees. Their faces were horrific, covered in war paint of some sort that gave them an extremely savage appearance. Most of them were carrying spears similar to the one that the skull was resting on.

The vision Ralph leaped to his feet and tried to flee, but the boys were on him in a flash. They tackled him, whooping and chanting. It took Harry a moment to make out what they were saying.

"_Catch the pig. Cut his throat."_

Apparently, the pig was Ralph. He fought frantically, trying to get away, but he was weakened by blood loss and the odds were at least twelve against one. He almost managed to escape, but then a small, olive-skinned boy with dark hair and eyes came up behind him and clubbed him viciously on the back of the head with the butt of his spear.

Ralph collapsed, dazed, and the rest of the boys used the opportunity to tie him down as best they could. They continued to chant, getting louder each time, until a group of bigger boys emerged from the trees.

The uncivilized mob quieted immediately and stared expectantly at the new group of boys, an eerie silence settling over the clearing. Ralph, who was still lying in a dazed heap, blinked a few times and shook his head, trying to regain his senses.

Harry was anxious; what were they waiting for?

Then the dark boy who had clubbed Ralph stepped forward.

"We caught him, chief!" he called out, gesturing to where Ralph had been subdued. At his words, the crowd of older boys parted to reveal a tall, lanky boy with familiar, flaming red hair.

Harry's heart sank as a horrible suspicion occurred to him. This 'chief,' could he be . . . ?

Harry's eyes slowly traced over the approaching boy, taking in his commanding aura and horrible face paint of red, black, and white. Harry's suspicions were confirmed when he saw the boy's narrowed blue eyes. Though the boy's expression was twisted with hatred and bloodlust, the so-called 'chief' was undoubtedly Jack Merridew.

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**There you have it! Ralph's boggart, part 1. Second half should be up in about a week. Read and Review, please! :)**

_**~Home By Another Way**_


	4. Of Boggarts and Island Boys, Part 2

**Hello, everyone! It's me again. Well, since we just started Autumn Break where I live, I was so excited I decided to post a new chapter a little early. I sincerely hope you enjoy Part 2 of Ralph's Boggart!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything you recognize, except the plot! :)**

**P.S. Please take a moment of silence to honor the anniversary of October 23, 1956. If you do not know what monumental occasion took place on this day, I suggest you take the time to Google it for more information. Suffice it to say, on this day 58 years ago, the first blow was dealt to the Soviet Union, and the first step was taken to make the Iron Curtain fall. Thank you.**

Loss of Innocence

Of Boggarts and Island Boys, Part 2

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**Ralph collapsed, dazed, and the rest of the boys used the opportunity to tie him down as best they could. They continued to chant, getting louder each time, until a group of bigger boys emerged from the trees.**_

_**The uncivilized mob quieted immediately and stared expectantly at the new group of boys, an eerie silence settling over the clearing. Ralph, who was still lying in a dazed heap, blinked a few times and shook his head, trying to regain his senses. **_

_**Harry was anxious; what were they waiting for?**_

_**Then the dark boy who had clubbed Ralph stepped forward.**_

"_**We caught him, chief!" he called out, gesturing to where Ralph had been subdued. At his words, the crowd of older boys parted to reveal a tall, lanky boy with familiar, flaming red hair.**_

_**Harry's heart sank as a horrible suspicion occurred to him. This 'chief,' could he be . . . ?**_

_**Harry's eyes slowly traced over the approaching boy, taking in his commanding aura and horrible face paint of red, black, and white. Harry's suspicions were confirmed when he saw the boy's narrowed blue eyes. Though the boy's expression was twisted with hatred and bloodlust, the so-called 'chief' was undoubtedly Jack Merridew.**_

_**LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI**_

Harry's speculations were verified when the vision Ralph finally regained enough strength to look up at the red-haired boy.

"Jack," he acknowledged, sounding tired and defeated. Harry watched the poor bloke fight back bitter tears as the vision Jack turned cold eyes on his bloody, broken body.

"Ralph," the vision Jack replied, "Have you finally given up? Look around you. I'm chief; everyone follows me now." He turned to the other boys, focusing on the one who had clubbed Ralph when he tried to escape.

"Roger," he ordered, "take our prisoner to the camp."

As the vision Jack turned away to walk into the forest, one of the younger boys called after him, "Hey, chief! What're we gonna do with him?"

The vision Jack turned around and looked the vision Ralph in the eye for a moment. The blond boy stared back, looking both resigned and afraid. Finally Jack looked away and replied, "We're gonna sacrifice him to the Beast, of course."

At his words, the boys began to cheer and holler. Together they grabbed hold of Ralph and dragged him away into the forest.

Then the scene shifted and suddenly the class was standing on a sandy beach with waves crashing against the shore. A starry night sky stretched out overhead; bathing the beautiful scene in faint, gentle light. A little ways down the beach, a large bonfire had been created. Figures danced around it, whooping and hollering, their silhouettes black against the orange of the flame.

Another group of figures appeared from the forest, dragging something along the sand behind them.

Suddenly the class' point of view shifted and they found themselves standing just outside the ring of dancing boys. The firelight just barely reached the class' feet and they once again found themselves rooted to the spot, helpless to do anything but watch as the group from the forest broke through the ring around the fire. They dragged their trophy over to the foot of a makeshift throne upon which Jack Merridew sat, gazing imperiously down at them.

Roger, the dark boy from before, led the way to the throne. Once the group arrived in front of Jack, they dropped their prize - a bloody, beaten Ralph - and then retreated back into the crowd that had gathered upon their arrival. Roger, who was obviously Jack's lieutenant, took up a post to the right of Jack, far enough from the fire that he was almost swallowed up by the shadows.

The chanting ceased at a signal from Jack, and suddenly it was eerily quiet. The only sound was that of the waves crashing against the shore and the snapping of logs inside the fire.

After a moment, Jack stood from his throne and approached Ralph, who hadn't stirred at all since he'd been unceremoniously deposited on the sand.

The vision Jack sauntered up to Ralph's prone form, considered him for a moment, and then gave him a harsh kick in the gut.

"How cruel," Hermione gasped, but none of the savage boys seemed to hear her. The firelight reflected off their wild eyes, giving them an insane look that sent shivers down the Hogwarts students' spines.

Vision Ralph grunted in pain when Jack's foot connected to his stomach. The force of the kick moved him back at least six inches and forced him to curl into a ball to protect himself from further attacks, but he didn't respond otherwise. Jack snorted and gestured to some of the more heavyset boys.

"C'mon," he ordered, "prepare the sacrifice."

At his words, the boys went wild and began to close in on Ralph. The bigger boys sneered and grabbed sharpened sticks offered to them from the crowd. They stalked up to Ralph and began to poke at him with the pointy ends of the primitive spears, gouging bloody holes in his fair skin.

Ralph's only response to their abuse was to curl himself even tighter into a ball. The fervor of the watching boys increased as the bullies failed to get a response out of Ralph. They looked on with a kind of unsettling fascination and began to stir restlessly, muttering amongst themselves.

The vision Jack seemed to sense that the crowd was getting out of control because he stood from his throne once more, "That's enough."

The boys torturing Ralph backed off immediately, leaving the blond boy with more puncture wounds than ever before. Blood dripped down his skin in rivulets onto the sand, staining it a muddy brown color. Some Hogwarts students turned away to retch. Ron especially began to look a little green.

Jack's command caused the crowd of boys to fall into an expectant silence. The skinny redhead with his horrible face paint looked around proudly, eyes glittering with malice. He spread his hands grandly to encompass his whole audience and spoke in a loud, clear voice, "Biguns, littluns, today we have achieved our goal."

He gestured at the limp, broken boy at his feet, "Today, boys, we have finally captured the one responsible for all our troubles." Some boys murmured restlessly at that, but Jack merely smiled and calmed them with a wave of his hand.

"I know he used to be our chief, but no more. He was holding us back! He tried to keep us from hunting, from getting meat! He thought we could survive on measly fruit, and he wanted us to waste all our time building shelters or keeping the fire going!" Jack's voice became high and mocking as he continued, and the audience began to holler and cheer in agreement. Jack continued, barely pausing for breath, "He wanted us to follow rules and try to be grown-ups!"

By this time the clamor had risen to a fever pitch, and Jack threw his arms wide again, gesturing to the beautiful island around them, "But this is paradise, boys! There are no grown-ups to boss us around here; we can do whatever we want!

"But," Jack suddenly paused and looked devastated, "before we can truly be free, we have to do one last thing . . . ."

He trailed off and the boys immediately went quiet, looking distinctly unhappy. _Merlin_, Harry wondered in horror, _have they been brainwashed?_

Roger spoke up from the shadows behind the makeshift throne, "What is it, chief? What do we have to do?"

The gathered boys took their cue and joined in, asking Jack what they had to do to free themselves. _They're playing this crowd like Dudley plays Aunt Petunia_, Harry thought in disgust.

The vision Jack silenced the group once more and nudged the boy at his feet, "In order to finally be free to do whatever we want, we have to get rid of our old chief. We have to sacrifice him to the Beast - only then will we finally be free!"

The boys began to cheer again, chanting,_ "Catch the pig. Cut his throat. Give him to the Beast!"_

"Let the ceremony begin!" the vision Jack crowed. Immediately the boys surged forward and pulled the vision Ralph to his knees. They dragged him roughly over the sand and closer to the fire. Roger stepped forward and yanked Ralph's head back by his hair, exposing his neck.

Ralph grimaced, but otherwise didn't give any indication of his discomfort. His dazed, hazy eyes fixed on the fire, and for an instant time seemed to freeze.

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**There's one more part of Ralph's Boggart after this, so stay tuned because I will update on Halloween. Until then, please take a moment to tell me what you thought. I hope I have done my job well and not made Ralph's Boggart too cliché/predictable. :)**

**Special thanks to **Prucanisthewaytogo**, **Witch Hazel**, and** ultima-owner** for their reviews and support thus far! See you all next time!**

_**~Home By Another Way**_


	5. Of Boggarts and Island Boys, Part 3

**As promised, here is the final part of Ralph's Boggart! Just in time for Halloween! Hooray!**

**Disclaimer: No, just no. It's Halloween, but I don't think I could dress up as a deceased man or a British lady and steal the rights to these great ideas. I'll just be me instead, and write my own bestselling novel! ;)**

**NOW, ENJOY! AND REMEMBER THE WARNING ABOUT POTENTIALLY DISTURBING CONTENT! (Hmm, disturbing content + Halloween = a wonderful coincidence.)**

Loss of Innocence

Of Boggarts and Island Boys, Part 3

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**The vision Jack silenced the group once more and nudged the boy at his feet, "In order to finally be free to do whatever we want, we have to get rid of our old chief. We have to sacrifice him to the Beast - only then will we finally be free!"**_

_**The boys began to cheer again, chanting,**_**"Catch the pig. Cut his throat. Give him to the Beast!"**

"_**Let the ceremony begin!" the vision Jack crowed. Immediately the boys surged forward and pulled the vision Ralph to his knees. They dragged him roughly over the sand and closer to the fire. Roger stepped forward and yanked Ralph's head back by his hair, exposing his neck.**_

_**Ralph grimaced, but otherwise didn't give any indication of his discomfort. His dazed, hazy eyes fixed on the fire, and for an instant time seemed to freeze.**_

_**LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI**_

The world went silent and the chanting boys were frozen in place, mouths open and eyes wide but unblinking. Only Ralph seemed able to move.

The captive DADA class shifted restlessly, wondering what could possibly be happening now. To their amazement, the fire seemed to part, the flames gathering in front of Ralph and slowly taking shape into two boys. One was small with dark hair and eyes that gave the impression he was a little insane. The other was an overweight boy with broken spectacles that hung off his ear, one of the lenses cracked beyond repair.

Harry couldn't help but wince in sympathy for him; he knew what it was like to have his glasses broken. A loud gasp drew his attention back to the vision Ralph, who was staring at the two boys as though he had seen a ghost.

"Simon," he whispered, "Piggy. What . . . ?"

The skinny little boy looked back at Ralph sadly, then said softly, "It's all your fault, Ralph."

The vision Ralph jerked as though he'd been slapped, and the real one who was still kneeling on the ground whipped his head back in surprise.

The chubby boy nodded in agreement, "Simon's right, Ralph; we're dead 'cause a' you."

Ralph looked pained and struggled to speak, "I-"

"Don't try to deny it," 'Simon' interrupted, shaking his head sadly. Harry was incredibly confused; how could Ralph possibly be responsible for the deaths of these two kids? Harry felt a surge of irritation; nothing was making any sense! First Ralph was being chased by a group of wild boys, then he was talking to a skull, and now he was being prepared as a sacrifice for some so-called 'Beast!' What kind of messed-up Boggart was this, anyway? What was Ralph truly afraid of?

Harry pondered this as he watched the two boys torment Ralph, blaming him for being "weak" and letting Jack "take over."

"You always did like him best," the fat boy (_Piggy_, Harry realized belatedly) scowled at Ralph. Ralph bit his lip and looked down in shame.

"I - I'm sorry," Ralph finally managed to get out. Suddenly he looked desperate for the two ghosts to believe him, "I'm so sorry, Piggy, Simon. If I had been a better chief, if I had listened to you sooner -"

"It's too late for that now," Piggy snapped, his face turning pink with anger. Then Piggy and Simon began to change. Simon was suddenly covered in blood and stab wounds not unlike Ralph, but Piggy . . . his head was suddenly a mess of blood and bone; his brains oozing out of the gaping holes in his decimated skull. His entire body was suddenly askew; his limbs bent at unnatural angles.

_This is how they must have died_, Harry realized numbly, _and for some reason they blame Ralph for everything_.

At some unseen signal, both boys began to speak in unison, their eyes boring intensely into Ralph, who seemed mesmerized by the gruesome state of their bodies, "We're already dead, Ralph. We died because of you. We trusted you and you let us down. But it's alright; you've been caught now and you're finally getting what you deserve. It's only fair."

The horrible thing was that Ralph looked like he actually _believed _them. It was as if he agreed that he deserved what was coming to him; that being murdered and used as a sacrifice was okay because Simon and Piggy said so.

And then everything suddenly made sense to Harry. _The boar skull mentioned Ralph getting caught earlier_, he remembered, _and that was when everything went downhill. Getting caught by those boys_, Harry realized, that _must be Ralph's fear. He's scared stiff of what would have happened if he was caught by these savages. He's terrified of the consequences of Jack winning and becoming chief. He has Survivor's Guilt and blames himself about what happened to Piggy and Simon. This whole thing is just a continuation of Ralph's nightmare; the catalyst of which was when he was caught by that hunting party. _

Stunned, Harry barely realized that the world around them was gradually coming to life again; the time freeze was slowly wearing off and Simon and Piggy's forms were beginning to flicker. Before they vanished completely, Piggy spoke one last time:

"Remember, Ralph; the hunt is _never _over."

His parting words sent shivers down the spine of each Hogwarts student, and some had even begun to cry. Harry didn't blame them; there was too much drama going on for anyone to handle easily. There were ordeals Ralph had suffered that no one deserved to go through, and the class' exposure to them was beginning to take its toll.

And then through Piggy's words something else abruptly made itself clear to Harry. It suddenly dawned on him why Ralph was so terrified of Jack. _For Ralph, the hunt is still on_, Harry thought, horrified, _this sick game is still tormenting him, and Jack's presence is only making it worse_.

Harry couldn't help but feel sympathetic, even though he'd never had to go through anything like this before. Facing Voldemort when Harry knew he had people at his back he could count on seemed like nothing compared to what Ralph had suffered due to his time on the island.

_No wonder kids went mental_, he thought.

The world snapped back into full movement, and the chanting slammed into the Hogwarts students like a wave of madness, echoing in their ears and sending them into hysterics, some cracking under the pressure.

Through the sudden pounding in Harry's head, he somehow managed to focus long enough to watch Roger grab a primitive knife and yank Ralph's head back once more. The dark boy positioned the sharp blade over the delicate skin of Ralph's neck, a menacing, gleeful look in his eye that gave him the appearance of a lunatic. Ralph didn't flinch, though Harry could see his pulse fluttering frantically under the blade.

Roger smirked and prepared to end it all by slitting Ralph's throat. He lifted the blade a little in preparation for drawing it quickly across -

_"NO!" _

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**Whew, what a whirlwind! But it's not over yet, my dear readers - there's still one more chapter to go, so stay tuned for next week! I hope Harry's realizations were easy enough to follow along with . . . . I am actually quite pleased with how this chapter turned out, and, as always, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please drop me a line on your way out. Thanks in advance! :)**

**For those of you who celebrate Halloween, Happy Halloween to you! And for those of you who celebrate All Saints Day, I wish you good weather and good fortune. And if you don't do anything special on October 31st . . . I wish you a great weekend! It's Friday! Woot! TGIF!**

**. . . Now, who do you suppose will find the strength to stop Roger from making dear Ralph a sacrifice? Or is it already too late? *wiggles eyebrows***

**Sziasztok!**

_**~Home By Another Way**_


	6. Of Aftermaths and Reconciliations

**Well, my dear readers, we have reached the end of our little foray into the damaged minds of traumatized island boys. I hope you enjoy this final installment! (And I'm sorry this is a day later than I promised - I literally had no time yesterday!)**

**Disclaimer: Am I British? No. Dang, guess that means I don't own these ideas. Just the plot. :)**

Loss of Innocence

Of Aftermaths and Reconciliations

_**Last chapter re-cap:**_

_**The world snapped back into full movement, and the chanting slammed into the Hogwarts students like a wave of madness, echoing in their ears and sending them into hysterics, some cracking under the pressure.**_

_**Through the sudden pounding in Harry's head, he somehow managed to focus long enough to watch Roger grab a primitive knife and yank Ralph's head back once more. The dark boy positioned the sharp blade over the delicate skin of Ralph's neck, a menacing, gleeful look in his eye that gave him the appearance of a lunatic. Ralph didn't flinch, though Harry could see his pulse fluttering frantically under the blade.**_

_**Roger smirked and prepared to end it all by slitting Ralph's throat. He lifted the blade a little in preparation for drawing it quickly across – **_

"**NO!" **

_**LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI**_

Harry started in surprise, not expecting the familiar voice to interrupt. He watched as Jack Merridew - the real one, not the one in the vision - threw himself in front of the real Ralph who was still kneeling in the sand, watching dispassionately as he (or at least the younger, Boggart version of him) was about to be murdered.

Roger froze immediately and scowled, before he suddenly disappeared in a dizzying swirl of mist. The class could only stare in mute surprise as the scene around them evaporated into similar mist and vanished.

_Jack somehow found the strength to move_, Harry discerned as the class floated in some sort of strange, foggy limbo, _he threw himself in front of Ralph and tried to save him. He ended up between Ralph and the Boggart, so now the Boggart must be confused. Different people means different fears, after all_.

Unfortunately, the Boggart didn't stay confused for long. There was a loud crack and the mist transformed once again.

The terrified, bewildered DADA class suddenly found themselves in some kind of Muggle courtroom. On the defendant stand, Jack Merridew sat in handcuffs and an obnoxious orange jumpsuit, his eyes scarily blank once again.

A faceless jury sat in the jury box, and a nondescript judge was presiding over the court from behind a large oak desk. The judge's gavel pounded the desk with a resounding _clack _as he called the court to order.

After the entire room went silent, the judge stood up and addressed the jury, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to decide the fate of a boy who was marooned on an island for approximately a month and a half. The defendant: Jack Conall Merridew, age thirteen. The prosecutor: Lieutenant Charles Lachlan Balthazar, the rescuer of the marooned island-boys. The charges: the murders of Piggy and Simon. May God have mercy on your soul."

The judge sat down, and the prosecutor stood up, coming to stand before Jack and looking down at him sternly. For an instant, the Lieutenant's face was superimposed under the image of Ralph, but then the mirage was gone and it was just a young Royal Navy officer once more.

_So_, Harry thought, _Jack's fear must be getting blamed for Piggy and Simon's deaths, which means he definitely had something to do with them. _

Harry bit his lip in frustration. _Just what happened on that island?_ he wondered.

However, just as the prosecutor was about to ask Jack the first question, the vision was suddenly cut off and the class found themselves back in the DADA classroom. Some finally succumbed to the drama they had just witnessed and fainted, collapsing onto nearby desks or the floor in jumbled heaps.

Harry, who was feeling extremely nauseous and overwhelmed, managed to keep his cool by steadying himself on a nearby desk, taking deep breaths to control his racing heart.

He looked up just in time to see Professor Lupin standing in front of Jack and Ralph, a white orb floating ominously in front of him.

_Why is Professor Lupin afraid of the moon?_ Harry had no chance to ponder this as said Professor flicked his wand and shouted, "_Riddikulus!_" which transformed the moon into a balloon that whipped around the room briefly before returning to the cupboard where the Boggart was kept. Lupin muttered something and the door slammed shut behind the Boggart, locking it away again.

Harry barely registered the door to the classroom swinging wide to admit both Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey; he was too focused on the cause of the entire Boggart catastrophe, who was currently curled in a fetal position at the front of the room. Ralph was sobbing silently into his arms, no sound escaping his shuddering chest as fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

Harry noticed Jack watching Ralph suffer for a moment, before the redhead collapsed to his knees beside Ralph and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pulling the distraught boy protectively into his chest. It sent chills down Harry's spine to see such a kind, quiet, charismatic boy reduced to tears in the arms of his worst enemy (although, by now Harry was beginning to wonder if Jack was really Ralph's enemy at all. Jack may have been a bit creepy at times, and caused Ralph nightmares, but he had stood up for Ralph in front of Draco – his own _Housemate _– and had saved him from the torment of the Boggart. Regardless of their past, that had to count for something).

Jack began whispering to Ralph quietly, trying to calm him down, and Harry was just close enough to make out what he was saying.

"Shh, Ralph, it's alright," Jack murmured soothingly, "You're safe now. We're not on the island anymore. We're back in society, just like you wanted. Everything's gonna be okay."

His words only served to make Ralph even more hysterical; his sobbing increased and he began fighting to get out of Jack's arms. Despite his fervent struggles, Jack only held him tighter.

"Ralph, look at me," he tried again. He seized hold of Ralph's face and made the blond look him in the eye.

"_Listen_," Jack said earnestly, "I. Am. _Not_. Hunting. You. Do you understand?"

Ralph froze at his words and gazed back at the redhead in shock. He stopped crying and stared blankly at Jack, before his face abruptly twisted in anger.

"Why should I believe you?" Ralph hissed, glaring at Jack with wild eyes. He suddenly looked as fierce as the savage boys from the island that the Boggart had generated; like a cornered animal willing to do anything to escape with its life, "You betrayed me, Jack, remember?"

Jack looked unrepentant, "That was then, and this is now. _Trust me_."

Ralph snorted incredulously, "Sucks to trusting you. You know what Piggy said is true; the hunt _never _ends until the prey is caught, no matter what. You made that rule, if I recall correctly."

"I did," Jack acknowledged, "but that was on the island, Ralph. I remember back when I thought we could be friends, and I know you thought it too, but things got in the way. I am trying to apologize for my mistakes and move on, Ralph. Why can't you do the same?"

Ralph narrowed his eyes, his face flushing angrily, "Simon and Piggy are dead because of you. I was hunted like an animal _because of you._ All of us were nearly stuck on that island _because of you_. How am I supposed to forgive that?"

"If you recall," Jack snapped, "it was because of me that we were rescued at all."

"Oh, yes," Ralph scoffed, "you set the whole island on fire trying to flush me out of hiding, and by some miracle the Navy saw all the smoke and came to the rescue just in the nick of time. Meaning, of course, just before you managed to catch me and -"

Jack ran a hand through his hair in frustration and interrupted Ralph, "You're really stubborn, you know that?"

Ralph seemed to have forgotten his previous fear of Jack in favor of being furious, Harry observed. They were arguing like an old married couple, which, were they in any different circumstances, Harry would have considered hilarious, but as it was he was still very shaken by what had taken place.

As he looked around the room, Harry met some of his classmates' haggard eyes and realized he wasn't the only one who sensed a distinct loss of innocence; for better or for worse, the terrors the class had just witnessed had scarred them for life and they would no doubt be unable to look at the world in the same light ever again.

"Harry," Dumbledore, who had watched the interaction between Ralph and Jack with a noticeable lack of twinkle in his eye, appeared by his side, "What happened?"

The Gryffindor took a deep breath, shuddering as what he had witnessed returned to the forefront of his mind. He pushed down the bile that threatened to rise as he recalled the state of Piggy and Simon's mutilated bodies. He fought to keep his heart from pounding as he remembered the cruelty of the savage boys, and what Ralph had almost been forced to suffer at their hands. Once he had himself reasonably under control, Harry turned to face the Headmaster.

"We were trapped by the Boggart," the Boy Who Lived said, "and we saw Ralph's fear, and then Jack's."

"What did you see?" Dumbledore asked softly.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, "I'd rather not say, sir. I don't want to think about it."

The Headmaster nodded sadly, aware that whatever had happened was no doubt emotionally scarring and sure to haunt those forced to witness it for a long time. As he looked around the DADA classroom, it occurred to him that whatever horrors the students had beheld were affecting some more visibly than others. Some were in tears and sobbing, while others were just quietly staring out into space, their eyes dark and their faces empty. Dumbledore sighed; he would have to make sure all of them were transported to St. Mungo's to make sure their mental health had not been too damaged by their encounter with the Boggart.

Just then, Professor Lupin made his way over to the corner of the room where Harry and the Headmaster where currently observing the shell-shocked Third Year students. He stopped next to Harry and joined them in looking on despondently while several students were sedated and gently transported out of the room by Madam Pomfrey.

Professor Lupin sighed after a moment and turned to regard Harry and Dumbledore, "I'm sorry about this, sir."

"It's not your fault, Remus," Dumbledore said soothingly. "Do you know what happened?"

Professor Lupin turned his conflicted gaze to where Ralph and Jack were huddled together at the front of the classroom, watching the goings-on with eyes that seemed too old for their young teenage bodies. For the moment, their argument appeared to be over.

"As far as I can tell," Lupin began, "everything went wrong when Ralph stepped up to take his turn with the Boggart. One moment the class was laughing and joking about their fears, and the next a mist had enveloped them all and I couldn't get through to them. It was as though the mist was a wall that separated me from whatever was going on, and nothing I did was enough to penetrate it. Spells bounced off it and eventually I realized I would just have to wait and be patient for the Boggart to either release its hold on Ralph or be defeated."

"Why do you suppose this mist appeared at all?" Dumbledore asked curiously; he had never heard of a Boggart doing such a thing.

Professor Lupin pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, "All I can figure is Ralph's fear must have been so strong that it granted the Boggart an unusual amount of power. In an attempt to keep hold of Ralph and therefore its newfound power, the Boggart tried to seal those closest to it away into whatever nightmare it had conjured. The only way to escape would have been if the Boggart was somehow defeated."

"Jack beat it," Harry interjected suddenly, "We were somehow frozen in place and couldn't move, and things just kept getting worse and worse . . ." Harry shuddered, "Just when I thought Ralph couldn't be saved, Jack somehow broke the hold the Boggart had over us, and jumped in front of him. Then it transformed into Jack's fear, and the next thing we knew we were back here."

Dumbledore and Lupin watched Harry quietly, lamenting the pain and darkness that stole across his face as the memories of the Boggart's torture of Ralph replayed themselves in his mind's eye. The trio descended into a contemplative silence, struggling to deal with the demons the entire Boggart incident had invoked in each of them.

"I'm sorry," a soft, mournful voice startled the group out of their musings, and they turned sharply to see that Ralph and Jack had joined them. The two boys were standing a little apart from their loose circle, and Ralph was watching them with dark, soulful eyes.

Dumbledore heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head kindly at the youth, "This was not your fault, Mr. Evanson. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Ralph looked unconvinced, and seemed to sink even further into himself. Harry suddenly recalled that – if he was right – Ralph suffered from Survivor's Guilt. _Well,_ the Boy Who Lived thought, _I can understand that, at least a little._

Something Harry couldn't quite put his finger on led him to open his mouth, "Ralph, it's alright."

The blond boy – so different from Draco – glanced at him in surprise.

"We don't blame you for what your Boggart is," Harry said, looking the other boy straight in his too-old eyes. As he spoke, Harry watched some of the pent-up grief trapped within Ralph crumble and disappear. A flicker of life, of hope, sparked in Ralph's blue, haunted eyes, and Harry immediately knew he had done the right thing.

"Ralph," Jack's adolescent, though deepening voice broke the moment, and both Harry and Ralph turned to regard him. Jack waited until he was certain Ralph was paying attention before he continued, "don't dwell in the past. After the island, I thought about it every second of every day, and I nearly drove myself bloody insane."

Jack's eyes fell to the floor for a moment, and Harry watched as Ralph hung onto the redhead's every word with frightening intensity. _ I might understand a little of what Ralph is going through,_ Harry realized, _but the only one who can truly know is someone who was _there. _Someone who was on that island and witnessed its horrors first-hand. Someone like Jack._

"It was maddening," Jack said quietly, watching something far away that only he could see, "I saw the Beast every night when I fell asleep. Every shadow was hiding something that was going to leap out and attack me. The sun was the fire that ruined everything, and anything that was blue was _you_, Ralph. The look in your eyes from the last time I saw you _haunted_ me. I thought for sure I was going to go absolutely mental, therapist or not. Every day was torture; I knew eventually someone would talk, and I was afraid I would be called forward to pay for my crimes. However, months passed, and I realized that no one was talking, that I was safe – at least for now."

The entirety of the remaining students and adults in the classroom were listening with rapt attention to Jack by now, as his story was revealed. They looked on as he walked the path of his traumatic past once again, watched him shake his head wryly at how close he had come to losing his grip on sanity.

"Eventually I learned to shut everything related to the island away. I was determined to not think about it again and try to move on. But," Jack hesitated, smirking bitterly, "it was too hard. I knew deep down that I missed the island, I missed being free from society."

A peculiar mixture of longing and bitterness stole its way across the redhead's face, but he continued without pause, "The development of my magic was a welcome distraction, and after all that therapy I thought I would be okay. I thought Hogwarts would entertain me and nothing more, but then I saw _you_ on the train, and I knew I'd never be able to let everything go if you couldn't forgive me for all I've done."

Ralph looked startled, but Jack wasn't finished yet. He strode forward and grabbed Ralph by the shoulders, making him tense anxiously. Jack's eyes were suddenly burning with startling intensity, "I know you have nightmares every night, Ralph, and I know I'm in them."

The blond Gryffindor went stiff as a board, expression flickering between terror and confusion. Harry was worried he was going to go into hysterics again, but Ralph seemed to gather himself and lifted his chin, waiting for Jack to finish.

"I'm sorry, Ralph. I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused you. I've been trying to make amends, but I can only do so much. Can you ever forgive me for everything I've done to you?" The words were low and solemn, with a pleading undertone that made the onlookers' lips twist with pity.

Ralph didn't say anything for a while, and Jack eventually let his hands fall back to his sides. The passion in his blue eyes faded back to that scary blankness, and he nodded slowly, accepting the fact that Ralph would never forgive him, that the blond hated him so much he couldn't bear to speak to him.

Avoiding eye contact with anyone, Jack slowly started toward the door, back ramrod straight, determined to preserve what little dignity he had left. He was almost to the door when Ralph called out to him.

"Wait."

Jack froze but didn't turn around, awaiting the inevitable, whatever that might be.

"Jack, look at me," Ralph implored. The redhead slowly turned around and met his eyes reluctantly. Ralph took a deep breath.

"It's true that what you did on the island was terrible," Ralph said bluntly, "You tried to destroy anyone that stood in your way. You even succeeded a few times," Jack winced, but Ralph plowed on, "However, you were high on power and freedom."

The blond ran his fingers through his wild hair in frustration, "You have to understand . . . I can't just let everything go overnight, Jack," the redhead bowed his head in acceptance, "But, I can try."

Jack's head snapped up in surprise.

"As I said, Jack, you were high on power and freedom, and I can understand that, to a degree. I admit I felt the same, that one night, with Simon . . . ." Ralph trailed off, shuddering, and Jack glanced away, his expression dark. _Simon was the boy that looked like he had been stabbed to death_, Harry recalled. _Jack and Ralph know something, but what?_ Harry had the sinking feeling that he would never know, and that if he was given the option to know, he would turn it down. The Boy Who Lived didn't think he could deal with any more revelations right now. He could barely muster the energy to comprehend the drama that was unfolding before him; much less decipher everything that was being left unsaid.

"Anyway, I know what it was like, so I get it. You know how it feels better than anyone, Jack, and yet you've tried to accept it and move on. That's more than I've ever had the strength to do," Ralph closed his eyes, ashamed, "I tried to forget everything. I was too scared to accept it, too ashamed to face up to what I'd done. When I saw you on the Hogwarts Express, I was so terrified."

Ralph was shaking now, his face pale and drawn. Harry saw Jack step forward with a small frown, but he stopped before he reached Ralph, waiting just out of arms-reach and watching him like a hawk.

"All I could think about was that somehow, _impossibly_, you had managed to find me. Here at a school of _magic _of all places, I had thought I would be safe from any reminders of the island. To have you suddenly appear . . . I admit I almost fell apart again. All I could think was that you had found me, that _the hunt was on again_, and this time I knew you _wouldn't fail to see it through_," Ralph shuddered again, but then he seemed to draw strength from a place deep inside himself, because his spine straightened and he finally looked at Jack with clear, blue eyes.

"I was a fool, Jack. I allowed time to freeze. I was so afraid of acknowledging everything that had happened, everything that I had _done_. I was such a coward that I couldn't allow myself to mentally leave the island, to finally pick up the pieces and _move on_.

"It's been a year, Jack. A whole year that I've wasted dwelling in the past and being a coward. Seeing you again was just the catalyst for my fear. And for that, Jack, I have to thank you," the whole room jerked in surprise at Ralph's sudden declaration.

Ralph, his eyes shining with something weary but _strong_, answered their silent queries with his next words, "If it wasn't for you, Jack, I would still be on the island, at least in my head. Regardless of what you and I have done to each other in the past, I am at least able to acknowledge that I owe you for finally giving me the kick in the arse I needed to get _out _of that hellhole. So whatever else happens, _thank you_, Jack Merridew."

The boys were silent for a moment, staring at each other. Then, slowly, as though on some unspoken signal, both of them smiled – truly _smiled _– for the first time in months.

"Careful, Ralph," Jack Merridew stepped closer and held out his hand to the blond, "Any more pretty words and my ego might explode."

Scoffing playfully, Ralph extended his own hand to the redhead, "Sucks to your ego: I'm not worried. I can always knock you down a few pegs."

"Truce?" Jack asked, his voice suddenly hesitant, but his proffered hand remained steady.

"Truce," Ralph agreed softly.

With the entire room full of witches and wizards as their witnesses, the advocates for anarchy and order shook hands firmly, finally at peace with each other.

Then Jack said, "Oh, to hell with it," and pulled Ralph forward into a tight hug, which the blond easily reciprocated, his bright laugh shattering the last hints of tension and fear in the room. Ralph's laugh was infectious, and within moments the rest of the room had joined in. Smiles lit everyone's face, even Draco Malfoy's, and in no time at all the shadow the Boggart had cast over the students' hearts had been banished.

_Innocence may have been lost today_, Harry Potter realized, _but we'll be okay. The real world is full of horrors, and one day Voldemort will be back, but looking at Jack and Ralph, I know we'll be able to survive. No matter what happens, we'll always be there to support each other._

At that moment, two pairs of hands grabbed him, and Harry suddenly found himself in a group hug courtesy of Ron and Hermione. Both of them were grinning like loons, and after a moment Ron snorted, which caused the entire Golden Trio to explode into laughter.

Something light and powerful bloomed in Harry's chest.

_Bring it on, Sirius Black_, he thought with new-found determination, _whatever you want with me, I can take it. After all_, Harry's mind flashed with images of bumbling Neville, brilliant Hermione, quiet Ralph, serious Jack, his best friend Ron, _I have friends who will back me up and help me defeat you._

LILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILILI

**Gosh darn it, that ending took me a YEAR to get even halfway decent, but I think I finally managed to wrangle it into something okay-ish. I have to say this was a lot of fun to write, and I sincerely hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks again to my faithful reviewers: I really, truly appreciate all of your comments and ideas. Perhaps this little tale has even inspired some of you - let's give this crossover fandom some more love, huh? What do you say?**

**Anyway, this story is dedicated to S.G. Thank you for teaching me about the Carpathian Basin and 3-D motorcycle magazines! And happy belated birthday!**

**Please leave a comment on your way out, and have a lovely November!**

_**~Home By Another Way**_


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